Misconception-05

"Iglesia ni Cristo is a 'Cult or
Cult of Christianity?"

Misconception:
Many people particularly Iglesia ni Cristo detractors call the "Iglesia
ni Cristo a "cult" or use the term "Cult of Christianity" in
describing the Iglesia ni Cristo. The unfair use of this derogatory
word "Cult" to describe the Church sends a negative message to other
people, particularly those who have not yet known the church---the
Iglesia ni Cristo. Due to this misinformation people will in effect have a negative
perception of the Church, even before studying or making a serious
inquiry about it. This webpage is presented to make clear that this
derogatory allegation is unfair and unfounded so people will be
encouraged to study, examine, and compare the Iglesia ni Cristo.
To clarify the word "Cult", please read the following
excerpt
from various information sources:

The word cult pejoratively refers to a
group whose beliefs or practices are considered strange.[1]. . . . . . It is also a result of the
anti-cult movement which uses the word in reference to groups
seen as
authoritarian,
exploitative and that are believed to use dangerous rituals or
mind control. The word implies a group which is a minority in a
given society. . . . . . . In the mass media, and among average
citizens, "cult" gained an increasingly negative connotation,
becoming associated with things like
kidnapping,
brainwashing,
psychological abuse,
sexual abuse and other
criminal
activity, and
mass suicide. While most of these negative qualities usually
have real documented precedents in the activities of a very small
minority of new religious groups, mass culture often extends them to
any religious group viewed as culturally deviant, however peaceful
or law abiding it may be.Source: http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/cult, as of 10/20/2011

The high profile crimes perpetuated by the the
so-called cults are exemplified by the following:
The mass suicides committed by members of the People's Temple and
their leader Jim Jones in
Jonestown, Guyana, when on 18 November 1978, more than 900
people died in the largest mass murder/suicide in American history.
The other case is of the Branch Davidians who are best known for the
1993 siege of their Center near Waco, Texas, by the ATF and the FBI,
which resulted in the deaths of eighty-two of the church’s members,
including head figure David Koresh. The publicity of these crimes,
as amplified by the Anti-cult movement, influenced the popular
perception of new religious movements.Source:
http://listverse.com/2007/09/15/top-10-cults/ as of 10/20/2011

The term 'cult of Christianity' is used of a group, church or
organization whose central teachings and/or practices are
claimed to be
biblical or representative of biblical
Christianity,
but which are in fact
unbiblical and un-Christian. . . . .A cult of Christianity is a group of people, which
claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system
taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or
organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or
implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the
Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible. Certain Christian doctrines constitute the core of
the faith. Central doctrines include the
Trinity, the deity of
Christ, the bodily resurrection, the atoning work of
Christ on the cross, and
salvation by grace through faith. These doctrines so
comprise the essence of the Christian faith that to
remove any of them is to make the belief system
non-Christian.Source: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/c45.html as of 10/21/2011

From the above information, the word "cult and
cult of Christianity" was made clear. Please take note of the
following important points:

The word cult pejoratively or
negatively refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are
considered strange.

Anti-cult movement uses the word in reference to groups
seen as
authoritarian,
exploitative and that are believed to use dangerous rituals
or
mind control.

In the mass media, and among average citizens,
the word
"cult" gained an increasingly negative connotation, becoming
associated with things like
kidnapping,
brainwashing,
psychological abuse,
sexual abuse and other
criminal activity, and
mass suicide.

The term 'cult of Christianity' is used
of a group, church or organization whose central teachings
and/or practices are claimed to be
biblical or representative of biblical
Christianity,
but which are in fact
unbiblical and un-Christian. . . . . . is a group of people, which
claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system
taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or
organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or
implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the
Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible.

Certain Christian doctrines constitute the core of
the faith. Central doctrines include the
Trinity, the deity of
Christ, the bodily resurrection, the atoning work of
Christ on the cross, and
salvation by grace through faith. These doctrines so
comprise the essence of the Christian faith that to
remove any of them is to make the belief system
non-Christian.

Thus, when Iglesia ni Cristo detractors call the
Iglesia ni Cristo a "cult" or a "Cult of Christianity", they are in effect
declaring to the media and other people that:

The church beliefs are considered strange

The church is seen as authoritarian,
exploitative and uses mind control

The church is viewed as negatively by becoming
associated with things like mass suicide, brainwashing and other
criminal activity.

The church teachings and practices are
unbiblical and un-Christian, because the church embraces particular
doctrines that denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or
more of the so-called "central doctrines of the Christian faith"
which include the Trinity, the deity of
Christ, and salvation by grace through faith.

The Truth:
The Iglesia ni Cristo is a legitimate Christian religion and is not
in anyway a "cult" or a "cult of Christianity" as alleged by
detractors. Iglesia ni Cristo
(Tagalog
for Church of Christ) also known as INC, is the
largest entirely indigenous
Christian
religious organization that originated from the
Philippines
and the largest independent church in Asia. By
2008, the Iglesia ni Cristo, had grown to more than 5,000 congregations in the
Philippines, and more than 600 abroad. The Iglesia ni Cristo
has local congregations in 89 countries and territories with its
members belonging to 102 nationalities and ethnic groups.

First: The Church's beliefs
and practices can not be considered as "strange" because all the
Iglesia ni Cristo
doctrines and beliefs are biblical and are fully and clearly supported by the
verses of the Holy Bible. . . . . . . What should be considered as "strange" are
doctrines and beliefs that are unscriptural or not fully supported
by the verses of the
Bible, such as some of the popular doctrines that originated from traditions
of men and beliefs that are considered mysteries because it can
never be explained using the verses of the Bible.

The following are
some comments of people who have studied and/or written about
the doctrine of the Trinity:

The Trinity
is a wonderful mystery. No one understands it. The most
learned theologian, the holiest Pope, the greatest saint,
all are mystified by it as a child of seven.
[Martin J. Scott, S.J., God and
Myself, Nhil Obstat: Arthurus
J. Scanlan, S.T.D., Imprimatur: Joannes Cardinalis Farley (P.J.
Kenedy and Sons, 1917), pp. 118-119.]

Trinitarians say that "the doctrine of the Trinity is [...]
a deep mystery that cannot be fathomed by the finite mind."[7]Source: Wikipedia, Nontrinitarianism,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontrinitarianism (as of June
17, 2010, 15:11 GMT).

The
doctrine of the Trinity — that God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit are each equally and eternally the
one true God — is admittedly difficult to comprehend, and
yet is the very foundation of Christian truth. Although
skeptics may ridicule it as a mathematical impossibility, it
is nevertheless a basic doctrine of Scripture as well as
profoundly realistic in both universal experience and in the
scientific understanding of the cosmos.Authors: Henry Morris and Martin Clark
(excerpted from The Bible Has
the Answer by Morris and Clark,
published by Master Books, 1987).

"The mind of
man cannot fully understand the mystery of the Trinity. He
who would try to understand the mystery fully will lose his
mind. But he who would deny the Trinity would lose his soul"
(Harold Lindsey and Charles J. Woodbridge, A handbook of
Christian truth, pp 51-52).

Why is the
doctrine of the Trinity a mystery? The following Jesuit
priest has these to say:

God, of
course, can not perform an absurdity, a contradiction in
terms. He cannot for instance, make two and two equal five.
[John Walsh, This is
Catholicism (New York: Image
Books, 1959) p. 25.]

"the dogma of
the Blessed Trinity is a mystery in the fullest sense" . . .
. "it cannot be proved by reason, . . . nay, it cannot be
even be proved to be possible"
[Rev. C.F. Blount, S.J., The
Blessed Trinity (London:
Catholic Truth Society), p.2.]

Here is what Iglesia ni Cristo converts
say about their experience in the church:

For exactly 20 years, I listened to the words of
God under different ministers who were always ready to answer my
questions about the tiresome praises of priests on the mysteries of
the Catholic faith. In 1990 Brother Rizalino Santos, the resident
minister at that time, started to teach me the fundamental biblical
doctrines of the Church of Christ. Any question I asked him he
answered by reading verses in the Bible, never in his own words and
neither did he pronounce the prophetic sentence of the Catholic
priests that it is a "mystery of the faith"! One of the doctrines
that touched me deeply is the truth regarding God and Jesus Christ
who, according to some religions are one, but in the Bible, they are
two and are entirely different. Also, I was amazed at how all
members in the Church of Christ from the youngest to the
oldest—receive the same teaching from the Bible. What determined my
choice to become a member of the Church of Christ was when I asked
Brother Santos to show me where in the Bible we can read that Jesus
Christ is not God. He took by hand the Bible and read to me
different verses, among which are: John 17:3, John 20:17, and I
Timothy 2:5. These verses left me surprised, especially John 20:17
wherein Jesus Christ makes clear that He is not God. In the light of
this truth, I asked where the Catholic Church draws the origin of
the teaching regarding the so-called Trinity. He read two passages
from the book "Discourses on the Apostles Creed" written by a
Catholic priest in which it says that in the Council of Nicaea, in
325 A.D., the Catholic Church defined that it was an article of
faith that Jesus Christ is God; and in the Council of
Constantinople, in 381 A.D., that the Holy Spirit is God. There are
no biblical basis of the teaching of the so-called Trinity. This
fact made me deeply upset, so much that I asked a priest whom I
recognized then for an explanation. But rather than answering me in
a calm manner, he was outraged and sent me away.
Marco Boni, Rome, Italy
Click
here to read full story

So, why did I leave my former
church and join the Iglesia ni Cristo? First, I was spiritually convinced that the
Iglesia ni Cristo is the only true Church. It does not hide the
truth. It does not add to or subtract teachings from the Bible. It
is not a Church wherein the doctrines and practices are a mixture of
beliefs where anything can go in. The Iglesia ni Cristo is unique,
the only Church I have seen in my life that is biblical. . . . . The Iglesia ni Cristo does not worship idols or
graven images. There is nothing like human tradition imposed in
worship. . . . . One major component of my conversion to the Iglesia ni
Cristo is its clear and precise doctrines regarding the true nature
of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Unlike other churches that have
confusing doctrines such as the Trinity. . . . . Innocent E. Okekeh, Onitsha, Anambra State, NigeriaClick
here to read full story

Second: The negative
perception that the Church administration is authoritarian,
exploitative and uses mind control is not true. The Church
administration is strict but fair because all its rules are
based in the teachings of the Bible and every rule is clearly
explained to the members using the verses of the Holy Bible. The
unfair allegation that the Church administration uses mind control
or brain washing on its members is entirely wrong. The Church
members on their own free will, follow the teachings or doctrines of
the Church because he/she clearly understood the teachings which was
clearly and patiently explained to them using the verses of the
Bible.
Here is what an Iglesia ni Cristo convert say about his experience
in the church.

While I was attending worship services, I had so
many questions in my mind. I was amazed of how the ministers
preached. I noticed that they did not produce their own Bible They
used various Bible translations. All the questions I asked were
finally answered. I'd been with different religions, but I said to
myself that this one was so different and the teachings. were so
clear, direct from the Bible. I thought it was kind of strange since
the minister just gave me the answer with- out telling me a story or
interpreting from his own. He could prove to me that this is really
the Lord God's one and only true Church. I finally decide to enlist
as a Bible student. The minister who taught me God's words was
Brother Praxidio Ramboyong Jr. He would always ask me at the end of
the lesson if I understood it and he would make me answer questions
to make sure that I really did. I clearly understood because of the
fact that they came from the Bible. . . . . . Louis John Vecchitto, Norwich, Connecticut, U.S.A.Click
here to read full story

What sets the Iglesia ni Cristo apart from other religions is
that the members willingly follow the church's doctrines or
teachings because they are fully convinced and biblically sure that they
are following God's teachings, which are un-like like some mysterious doctrines
and beliefs that are based on the traditions and commandments of men.

Third: It is very clear
that the purpose of church detractors in calling the church a "cult"
is to demean or degrade the Church. It is entirely
unfair for the Church's detractors to call the church a "cult"
knowing fully well that it will have a negative connotation
in the mass media and among the the average citizens because it will
be associated with the
high profile crimes previously committed by a handful of so-called cults.

Fourth: It is entirely
wrong and unfair for the Iglesia ni Cristo detractors to declare that the
church teachings and and
practices are "unbiblical and un-Christian" just because the Iglesia ni
Cristo does not follow and/or deny their so-called "central
doctrines of the Christian faith" which include such doctrines as
the Trinity and the deity of Christ. Why? . . . . . Because they
must first prove that their doctrine of the Trinity
and the deity of
Christ is biblical and clearly supported by the verses of the Holy
Bible and not explain the Trinity as a mystery. Thus, if they say that the iglesia ni Cristo church's beliefs
is unbiblical or biblically wrong, then, they must first prove that
their doctrine of the Trinity and the deity of Jesus is biblically
correct.

It is therefore essential that you make a
Bible study by comparing the popular doctrine of the Trinity and the
Iglesia ni Cristo doctrines about God and Jesus Christ in
order to know whose doctrines or teachings is unbiblical and
un-Christian. You owe it to yourself to find the truth.
"You are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul".
It is vital to find the true Church because your soul cannot be saved
by a false
religion.

How to make a comparative Bible
study
so you will come to know
whose doctrines or teachings is
unbiblical and un-Christian?

Doctrines of the Iglesia ni
Cristo

Trinitarian
Doctrines

The only true God is the Father

The only
true God is the Triune God

Jesus Christ is not God but a
very special Man

Jesus Christ
is truly God and truly Man

Verify the scriptural basis
of the doctrines. Check the verses in your own
Bible or the online Bibles in the internet.
Determine if the verses presented clearly and
conclusively
support their doctrines?
After a thorough comparative Bible Study, make your
decision.
Decide whose doctrines are unbiblical and
un-Christian?
Always remember:
"You are the master of your fate and
the captain of your soul".

Iglesia ni Cristo
wants you to know the truth written in the Bible.
Iglesia ni Cristo does not hide the truth because her
teachings are not hidden in mystery.

Iglesia ni
Cristo doctrines and beliefs are clearly written in
the Bible. All questions are answered using
the verses of the Bible. The teachings are so clear,
you will never hear the word "mystery"
as an answer to any of your questions.

Iglesia ni Cristo does not add
or subtract teaching from the Bible. All teachings
are strictly biblical as it does not include
teachings from traditions and commandments of men.

You are welcome to
study, examine the doctrines and beliefs of the Iglesia ni
Cristo and compare them to your religious beliefs or other religion's
belief.
Then, based on your thorough biblical study,
you can fairly decide who is the real "cult of Christianity"--- the
pseudo Christian religion whose beliefs are unbiblical and
un-Christian because their doctrines are not in accordance
with the teachings of the
Lord Jesus Christ that are recorded in the Holy Bible by His
Apostles and disciples.

_____________________

To give you an idea why the
Iglesia ni Cristo believe that it is the
doctrine of the Trinity that is unbiblical and
un-Christian.
please read the
following:

. . the doctrine of the
Trinity lacks direct scriptural support as declared by
the following encyclopedias and Bible dictionary:

The
New Catholic Encyclopedia says, "The doctrine
of the Holy Trinity is not taught [explicitly] in
the [Old Testament]", "The formulation 'one God
in three Persons' was not solidly established [by a
council]...prior to the end of the 4th century".

Encyclopedia Encarta states: "The doctrine is
not taught explicitly in the New Testament, where
the word God almost invariably refers to the Father.
[...] The term trinitas was first used in
the 2nd century, by the Latin theologian Tertullian,
but the concept was developed in the course of the
debates on the nature of Christ [...]. In the 4th
century, the doctrine was finally formulated"[9].

Encyclopædia Britannica says: "Neither the word
Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New
Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to
contradict the Shema in the Old Testament:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord”
(Deuteronomy 6:4). [...] The doctrine developed
gradually over several centuries and through many
controversies. [...] by the end of the 4th century,
under the leadership of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory
of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus (the Cappadocian
Fathers), the doctrine of the Trinity took
substantially the form it has maintained ever
since."[10]

The
Anchor Bible Dictionary states: "One does not
find in the NT the Trinitarian paradox of the
coexistence of the Father, Son, and Spirit within a
divine unity."

From the above
Encyclopedia's and Bible Dictionary, it is very clear that the
doctrine of the Trinity is not taught explicitly in the Old and New
Testament of the Holy Bible.

This is the basic
reason why Nontrinitarians reject the doctrine of the Trinity
because it lacks direct scriptural support or simply the
doctrine of the Trinity is not taught in the Bible.

Thus, the argument that the
Trinitarian doctrine is a “mystery” is essentially an inherent
irrationality. The perplexity of the Trinitarian arguments, which
has included the use of philosophy, is contrary to the Biblical
principles of simplicity and clarity in doctrine. Their failure to
explain the doctrine using the verses of the Bible does not make the
Trinity a mystery, for how can anyone explain a supposedly biblical
doctrine that is simply not taught in the Bible.

More commentaries about the
Trinity Doctrine from various sources.

The
Dictionary of the Bible - Edited by James Hastings (1963), PAGE
1015:

The Christian doctrine of God (q.v.) as
existing in three Persons and one Substance is not
demonstrable by logic or by scriptural proofs.

Dictionary of
the Bible by John L McKenzie S.J. (1965), PAGE 899.

The Trinity of persons within the unity
of nature is defined in terms of persons and nature which
are Greek philosophical terms; actually the terms do not
appear in the Bible.

The Trinitarian definitions arose as the
result of long controversies in which these terms and other
such as essence and substance were erroneously applied to
God by some theologians.

The Encyclopedia Americana -
1956, VOL. XXVII, PAGE 294L:

"Christianity derived from Judaism and
Judaism was (and still is) strictly Unitarian (Oneness -
believing that God is only one).

The road
which led from Jerusalem to Nicea was scarcely a straight
one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect
accurately early (Originally Apostolic) Christian teaching
regarding the nature of God; it was on the contrary, and
deviation from this teaching."

The Encyclopedia of Religion,
Vol. 15, 1987:

Exegetes and theologians today are in
agreement that the Hebrew Bible does not contain a doctrine
of the Trinity,

Further, exegetes and theologians agree
that the New Testament also does not contain an explicit
doctrine of the Trinity.

Some theologians have concluded that all
post-biblical Trinitarian doctrine is therefore arbitrary
(based on or subject to individual judgment or preference).
While it is incontestable (obviously true) that the doctrine
cannot be established on scriptural evidence alone."

Are you still wondering why the doctrine
of the Trinity became so popular today even if it is not taught in
the Bible?

THUS, It took about
300 years (after the death of the last apostle) for the Roman Church
to give official endorsement to the concept of the Trinity. When the
Church through the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD gave its
decision regarding the divinity of the Holy Spirit, it also gave
official endorsement to the concept of the Trinity. Thus, by the end
of the 4th century, the Emperor Theodosius "issued a decree that the
doctrine of the Trinity was to be the official state religion of the
Roman Empire and that all subjects shall adhere to it".
Source:
http://comparativebiblestudylessons.com/Lessons/2f-origin-formulation-trinity.html

All nontrinitarians take the position that the
doctrine of the earliest form of Christianity (see Apostolic Age)
was not Trinitarian. Typically, nontrinitarians believe Christianity
was altered as a direct and indirect consequence of the edicts of
Emperor Constantine I, which resulted in the eventual adoption of
Trinitarian Christianity as the official religion of the Roman
Empire. Because it was during a dramatic shift in Christianity's
status that the doctrine of the Trinity attained its definitive
development, nontrinitarians typically consider the doctrine
questionable. Nontrinitarians see the Nicene Creed as an essentially
political document, resulting from the subordination of true
doctrine to state interests by leaders of the Catholic Church, so
that the church became, in their view, an extension of the Roman
Empire.Source: Wikipedia, Nontrinitarianism,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontrinitarianism (as of Apr. 9, 2010,
18:49 GMT).

For more than 1600 years people have been taught
that the doctrine of the Trinity is biblical and many people have unwittingly
accepted it as the biblical truth. . . . But, with the advent of the
internet, it is now very easy to examine the events that transpired
a long time ago, starting from the death of the Apostles by the end
of the 1st century, when the books and letters of the New Testament
were already written, . . . .to the time before the end of the 4th
century, when Emperor
Theodosius "issued a decree that the doctrine of the Trinity was to
be the official state religion of the Roman Empire and that all
subjects shall adhere to it".

Now is the time to find out who are the real "cult or cult of Christianity"--- the
pseudo Christian religions whose beliefs are unbiblical and
un-Christian because their doctrines are not in accordance
with the teachings of the
Lord Jesus Christ that are recorded in the Holy Bible by His
Apostles and disciples.